* cake deco & baking classes * group / personal *

Finally, I found a good recipe for making Naan. Thanks to the book “Back to the table” by Art Smith. The author claimed that this recipe was given to him by two Pakistani sisters.. jazakallahukhayran. The Naan turned out great – soft and fluffy. And of course, it taste better than the ones you get from eating out. Here’s the recipe.

Mix the milk and honey together. Then add the yeast. Let it soften for about 5 minutes. Stir till all the yeast has dissolved. Then add the yogurt, egg and oil into the yeast mixture. In the mixer bowl, put the flour,salt and baking powder. Use the dough hook and stir on low speed for a few seconds. Slowly pour the yeast mixture into the flour. Knead on low to medium speed until the dough forms into a ball. I like my dough to be a little sticky so that the flat bread turns out soft. You may add a little bit of water to soften the dough, or if it is too soft, add a little bit of flour. Knead for a few minutes till the dough is smooth, I think I took about 5 minutes.

Lightly oil a big bowl, and leave the dough to proof for about an hour or till double its size. Then, punch down the dough and divide into 6 smaller balls. Let them rest for a while if you find that the dough retracts each time you try to flatten it. I tried to use a roller, but found that using my hand is easier to flatten the dough and get the right shape. You can bake the Naan straight away, or wait for a few minutes till it puffs up again, then bake. Before baking, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. I bake mine in an ordinary oven, at about 220C, for around 10 minutes. Towards the end, raise the upper temperature slightly to get the nice golden brown colour.

Picture below is that of a tandoor oven, where temperature can be as high as 480 C.. no wonder the Naans were baked in just a few seconds.

Here’s a good video on how to make Naan. It seems that the traditional Naan has a tear shape. But everywhere in Malaysia people seems to make it round, right ?? Shape doesn’t matter, I guess.

I made double the recipe. The small dough below were cling-wrapped and kept in the freezer, for future consumption

We enjoyed our Naan with beef Korma. I guess the famous combination in our Mamak stall would be Naan with Tandoori chicken. The bread is best served straight from the oven. To slow down the proofing process, you can keep the dough in the fridge. I take it out maybe 45 minutes before dinner time, then start shaping and baking. By dinner time, the smell of freshly-baked bread will surely make everyone hungry

Hopefully next time my homemade Naan will turn out slightly smooth, need to practice more on the flipping and stretching techniques. Till then, Happy New Year 2013 ! Alhamdulillah..